Spring seat



March 17, 1936. w. MARSHALL SPRING SEAT Filed July 3, 1933 INVENTOR, Wz' lla'atm Mars/(all.

IATTORNEYS- UNITED srATas PATENT o F cs Briggs Manufacturing CompanyQDetroit, Mich, a corporationoi Michigan I,

Application Ju 3,1933, Serial No. 678:776 2 Claims. (cuss-179) This invention relates to spring or cushion seats or back rests, particularly, although not exclusively, adapted for automobiles, an object of the invention being to provide a spring seat structure, as'well as a back rest, constructed in 1 an improved manner whereby the use of conventional coiled springsis eliminated, while at the same time a spring or cushion seat is provided which will secure the maximum comfort tothe occupant of the" vehicle.

- A further object of the invention is to provide I .an improved spring or cushion seatas well as a rable in use, and relatively light in .weight as r the following description and appended claims,-

i'compared with conventional automobile seat units, whereby a substantial reduction in weight may be obtained, substantial economies efiected, and maximum riding qualities maintained.

Another object of the invention is to provide means tofacilitate and simplify, the interconnection of the units of the spring structure.

Other objects of this invention will appear in reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification wherein like reference'characters designate corresponding parts. in the several views.

Fig. 1 is a plan view, partly broken awayf showing one form of spring structure made in accordance'with the invention. Fig. 2 isa transverse vertical section, partly 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view taken subin elevation, taken substantially along the line HY along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. ,4 is an enlarged detail view -taken stantially along the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

sub

Before. explaining in detail the present in-.

ventionit is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of parts.-

illus'trated in the accompanying drawing, since the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried put in various Also it is to be understood that -the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of descriptionand not of limita-.

tion, and it is not intended to limit the invention 50 claimed herein beyondthe requirements of the prior art. a rr g Referring now particularly to Figs. 1 to 4 inclusiv e, there is shown one form or the invention adapted to be applied in connection with seats, alth ugh the structure therein shown is equally capable of use as a seat back. Ill reprens'ents a substantially rectangular channel frame or base having wood inserts ll providing tacking strips. or plurality of 'transversely extendi wire formed spring members or units, each shown as a whole at i2.- Each spring member comprises an upper course l3 which, as shown, may be slightly bowed or curved outwardly. The members l2 are each formed from a single piece of wire which is bent back at opposite ends of the course l3 to provide loops l4. The wire is 'then curved inwardly to form at one end a bow IS The spring structure comprises a series I having a conic and at its opposite end a larger the spring member orkunit. The free ends ll' of the leg sections I5, I51: may be bent at an angle laterally and held to the top of the base or frame member III in any suitable manner, as

by means of metal clamps l8 which are spot welded or riveted tothe base. The loops l4 at each -side receive and support a border wire l9.

This wire is clamped in the loops as by means of metal bands 20 which hold the adjacent ends of the course and the bows I5 together. Referring to Fig. 1, it will be seen'that a plurality of these wire formed spring members extend cated in predetermined positions throughout substantially the length of the seat or backL It will be seen also that the upper courses I3 of the units extend substantially the full width .of the seat or back.

In practice it has been found desirable to secure the courses I 3 together and at the same-time legs 25. The body portion 23 and the legs 25 extend in substantially parallel planes, which are also parallel to the upper courses l3, whereas the end portions 24 extend at right angles to the courses and are of a length substantially equal to the distance between a pair of said courses. Thus the. members 22 have spaced portions which 00- operate with the spaced uppercourses I 3 and can ing a mainbody' portion 23, end portions 24 and transversely of the spring structure and are 10- be secured to the courses by a flat band or wire 28' (see Fig.' 3). This construction permitsthe portions 23 and 25 of adjacent members 22 to be connected to each course l3 in an easy and secure manner. The members 22 thus provide reinforcing connections for the spring units l2 and additionally .serveto maintain the upper courses 13 of these units in predetermined spaced relation.

After the springunits l2 are assembled with the base 10, the spring structure is covered with padded upholstery U, the fabric of which is attached to the frame by tacks 99 which engage the tacking strips i I.

From the foregoing it will be seen that in the embodiment hereinshown by way of example a seat or back structure is formed by means of parallel wire formed spring members each providing an upper course terminating at at least one end in an inwardly extending bowed leg sec- .center toward each longitu tion, and that the arrangement and construction is preferably suchthat the spring structure.

of a seat proper, is more yieldable under pressure.

than the opposite edge, that the courses are unsupported intermediate theleg sections, and that the resistance of the spring members to pressure progressively and uniformly increases from the dinal edge but at a disproportionately greater rate toward one edge than toward the opposite edge.

I claim:

1. A spring seat comprising a series of transversely extending spring members each formed from a single piece of wire having an upper course extending substantially the width of the seat, said wire being bent back upon itself to provide loops at opposite ends of the course and curved to provide bow like supporting leg sections for the seat, coils formed in said bows, a border wire extending through said loops, and a plurality of substantially oblong wire-formed members arranged edge to edge and extending longitudinally of the spring seat for interconnecting and reinforcing said spring members, and for maintaining them in predetermined spaced relation.

2. A spring seat comprising a series of transversely extending spring members each formed from a single piece of wire having an upper course extending substantially the width of the seat, the wire of each course being bent at opposite ends of the course to provide spring coils forming inwardly bowed leg sections, the upper portions of said sections extending parallel to said upper course and secured thereto, and a border wire secured to the corresponding ends of the courses.

WILLIAM MARSHALL. 

